South Orange NJ, September 28, 2018 — Tiger Woods’s first PGA victory in five years was generally considered a feel-good event for the sport, but can it translate to a return to the endorsement world in which he was once prominent? 70% of respondents said yes, they would expect Woods to get more endorsement opportunities now, to only 16% saying no. Only 9%, however, said they would be more inclined to buy a product bearing his endorsement, while 8% said less inclined and 82% said it would not matter.

Those were the findings of a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted this week among 780 Americans on land lines and cellphones, with a margin of error of +/- 3.6%. The Seton Hall Sports Poll is conducted by the Stillman School of Business and its Sharkey Institute. Rick Gentile is the director.

Effects of Nike Commercial with Kaepernick

The controversial decision by Nike to use Colin Kaepernick in its commercials resulted in 16% saying they would be more inclined to buy Nike products, 26% less inclined and 52% saying it had no effect. Among African-Americans, people were more inclined to buy Nike by a 6-1 margin.

NFL Anthem Ruling?Meanwhile, on the issue that started it all – the kneeling for the national anthem – 56% said the NFL should leave things as they are as opposed to issuing a ruling on the issue, which 39% favored. Younger respondents – ages 18-29 – by a 3-1 margin, said the matter should be left as is without the issuance of a new rule.

President Trump Tweets on NFL Protests Divisive?Asked whether President Trump’s tweets about player protests were helpful, 56% said they divided people, 21% said they united people, and 10% said they had no effect.

“A clear majority wants the furor over the NFL player protests put to rest,” said Gentile, “and the presidential tweets on the subject to do the same.”

The Urban Meyer Suspension at Ohio StateOhio State’s head football coach Urban Meyer suffered a three-game suspension for mishandling a case of domestic abuse by an assistant coach. 34% felt it should have been more severe, and 9% felt it should have been less severe. 32% felt that was an appropriate punishment.

Serena Williams, People Agree Men have More Latitude to Argue in TennisAsked for opinions on the Serena Williams clash with tennis officials at the US Open earlier this month, 56% agreed with her that male tennis players are given more latitude to “misbehave” than women players. 37% disagreed. Among men, it was “yes” by a 49-32% margin; among women, it was “yes” by 62-22%.

Asked if race was a factor in her being penalized, 25% said yes, 58% said no. and African-Americans were split evenly.

ABOUT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY

One of the country’s leading Catholic universities, Seton Hall University has been a catalyst for leadership — developing students in mind, heart and spirit — since 1856. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 90 academic programs, Seton Hall’s academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, U.S.News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Seton Hall, which embraces students of all religions, prepares its graduates to be exemplary servant leaders and global citizens. Its attractive main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles by train, bus or car from New York City, offering a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. The university’s nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark.

For more information, visit www.shu.edu.

About the poll:

This poll was conducted by telephone September 24-26 among 780 adults in the United States. The Seton Hall Sports Poll is conducted by the Sharkey Institute.

Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard landline and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

1- Do you think the NFL should issue a rule regarding protesting during the playing of the national anthem or do you think the league should leave things alone?

1-Issue a rule 39

2-Leave things alone 56

3-Don’t know/No opinion 6

2- Do you think the main effect of President Trump’s tweets on the subject of NFL players’ on field protesting was to unite people or divide them?

1-Unite people 21

2-Divide people 56

3-Had no effect 10

4-Don’t know/No opinion 14

3- Does the Nike TV commercial featuring Colin Kaepernick make you more inclined, less inclined or have no effect on whether you purchase Nike products?

1-More inclined 16

2-Less inclined 26

3-No effect 52

4-Don’t know/No opinion 6

4- Tiger Woods lost many non-golf endorsement deals a few years ago because he was perceived to be involved in some scandalous behavior. After his victory over the past weekend do you think sponsors will once again reach out to have him endorse products?

1-Yes 70

2-No 16

3-Don’t know/No opinion 15

5- Would you be more inclined to purchase a product endorsed by Tiger Woods, less inclined or would his endorsement not matter?

1-More inclined 9

2-Less inclined 8

3-Wouldn’t matter 81

4-Don’t know/No opinion 3

6- Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer was suspended 3-games for mishandling a case of domestic abuse involving one of his assistant coaches. Do you think the punishment of Coach Meyer should have been more severe, less severe or was it appropriate?

1-More severe 34

2-Less severe 9

3-Appropriate 32

4-Don’t know/No opinion 25

7- In the finals of the US Open Tennis Tournament, Serena Williams was penalized for several rules infractions regarding behavior. She claimed that she was punished more harshly than a male player would have been for the same behavior. Do you think male tennis players are given more latitude to misbehave than female players?

1-Yes 56

2-No 27

3-Don’t know/No opinion 17

8- Do you think Serena Williams’s race was a factor in how she was penalized for her behavior during the match?

1-Yes 25

2-No 58

3-Don’t know 17

9- How closely would you say you follow sports, very closely, closely, not closely or not at all?

South Orange NJ, September 27, 2018 — With Major League Baseball’s post-season play beginning on Tuesday, a wide margin believe that the Wild Card round should be more than a single elimination game. By a margin of 47%-26%, public opinion favors a multi-game series.

That was the finding of a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted this week among 780 Americans on land lines and cellphones, with a margin of error of +/- 3.6%. The Seton Hall Sports Poll is conducted by the Stillman School of Business and its Sharkey Institute. Rick Gentile is the director.

The Poll also found that:
57% believe large market teams have an advantage over smaller market teams in advancing to the post season, with only 13% saying they do not.

Asked about the institution of a limit on mound visits during a game, 23% said it resulted in improved pace of play, with 21% saying it did not. 42% had no opinion or did not know.

“The call for added games in the wild card round may be influenced by having the Yankees and Dodgers (the two biggest markets) both potentially playing a one-and-done game,” noted Gentile. “Admittedly, added games pushes the post-season deeper into November, and that could present a problem for MLB, the Players Association and the networks.”

ABOUT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY

One of the country’s leading Catholic universities, Seton Hall University has been a catalyst for leadership — developing students in mind, heart and spirit — since 1856. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 90 academic programs, Seton Hall’s academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, U.S.News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Seton Hall, which embraces students of all religions, prepares its graduates to be exemplary servant leaders and global citizens. Its attractive main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles by train, bus or car from New York City, offering a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. The university’s nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark.

For more information, visit www.shu.edu.

About the poll:

This poll was conducted by telephone September 24-26 among 780 adults in the United States. The Seton Hall Sports Poll is conducted by the Sharkey Institute.

Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard landline and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The Seton Hall Sports Poll is sponsored by The Sharkey Institute, brought to you by The Stillman School of Business, and directed by Rick Gentile – a faculty member at Seton Hall University and 10 time Emmy Award winner for his work as Executive Producer and Senior Vice President of CBS Sports.